The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1887-02-18
Che Qtt ! ! !,
llcc. Nos. 20 and 81 Fourteenth street.
DIR. CROSBY ON WINE.

Onicci Nos. 10 and 81 Fourteenth Street,
DIR. CROSBY ON WINE. Sos
A Presbyterian Minister Who Is Opposed I,
| Teototalisn. ll lFi
"Teetotallsm!" said DR.. Crosby sharply
do believe in teetotaliHm2 not only
do not believe in 1t, but consider II my
duty 90 Christian minister and a God
fearing man to take a reeoluto s.snt
againstit." -
And tho doctor, who for twenty-five
ycarshasguided the destinies OF the Fourth
Avenue Presbyterian Church, walked Ia
and fro In his residence at No. ll0 East
Nineteenth street with the air OF man
very much in earnest. =" ~
when l addressed the students at Rut.
gers college yesterday" no continued, ~
simply gave utterance 10 vfews which l
have privately expressed many times. I
believe that those members Of the Chris.
tian churches who are carrying on the
ianatical var against alcohol are not only
injnring the cause Of Christianity, bu,
violating the commando OF God, Their
platforms and their methods Of procedure
are go paipably wrong that believe thew
are an important cause OF driving peoplc
from tho church and making infldels Of
them" 5sla UE,l7s-, - -
"Do YOU hold that the Bible advocsteu
tho uao OF wine2" iETga
"Most certainly" ed. ~
And In what places?" /,
"All through It, from beginning to end,
Why, our Savior made wine. Ho com.
manded 1t 10 DO drunk every day, and or.
dained Its use OF tho eucharist. 1t was
intended to be used "a the type Of q areat
spiritual idea. Itis gift OF God to us,
to be used reasonably, like all bis other
gifts. The Christian war againa. it is sim.
ply an ecclesiastical arraignment Of the
Creator, who gaye 1t az a blessing to
man." ''I.0 - % -
"rhen you do not believe in the temper.
ance pledge?' ...s. ...,.. - : =
mot in the least. 1t is q wrong and
useless idea. II I pledge myself to pay a
man 500, or pledge myself 10 marry a
woman, 1t is perfectly proper, an agree
nent entered into between man and man
or man and woman. But II lift my hands
on high and pledge myself to God that I
will mover drink another drop OF alcohol
1t neems to me- that l am simply eelf.
righteous; that am assuming IN equality
with God which is most unwarrantable
and sinful.
I'm addition to TINT, temperance pledges
are never kept. Why, my old friend DR..
Payson, Of Third avenue, now deceased,
told me that he had administered great
many pledges, and that they were oftener
broken than held to. Lam opposed TO the
temperance pledgeirom both standpoints."
Then what ia your position as regards
~ believe in the reasonable use Of wine
and beer, or fermented liquors. I do not
believe in the use Of distilled spirits
There Is alcohol in wine and beer, to be
sure, and the fanatics consequently decry
1t, calling out thst Alcohol ia deadly
poison. 1t is ono OF the most widely
spread OF compounds. We find it every.
whero in food. They might rs we'll forbid
me to eat peach because the prussic acid
which helps to make up its exquisite
flavor is q deadly drug when taken in
quantity"
What ID your idea Of its reasonable
use?"
II think every right.minded man can
settle that for himself. I don't mean that
a man shall sit down and drink seventeen
or eighteen schooners OF beer at sitting.
Even when he does it is not tho alcohol
that hurts him, but tho swauh. II should
drink seventeen or eighteen schooners Of
water it would mako me sick. It would
turn me into water barrel and naturally
injure the tissues OF my system. But this
is due aimply to the unreasonable quaint
ty. Why, Mose1 Gibbons went before a
committee Of the Legislature and declared
that beer created the worst kind OF drunk.
enness:. don't believe it. I would like
to see every working man in the country
have bis comfortable glass Of beer at din
ner, II he wants it, and I don't believe
anybody has the right to say he shall not
have it." r70-,i 4
"You do not believe, then, that the
drinking OF wine and beer inculcates de-
sire for strong liquors2"
mo, do not. | believe that country
which drinks wine or beer docs not drink
whisky. l believe that pure wine and
good beer will spoil the eale OF distilled
spirits and drive them out. That is my
solution Of the temperance problem. I
have used both wine and beer for many
years and have not experienced a desise
for anything stronger, and I do NOT sbe:
lieVe that ! am different in this SfSsnect
than any other men. think it will Be a
good thing for tho country when our
wine product is greatly increased, and @
pure, healthy wine is within tho reach Of
all at q small cost" I3e'77
but does not the scripture say that
wine is mocker and strong drink is
ragiDg?" = ELS n
Yea, and itRays many other things Of
similar purport, but to every one Of them
the command is not against tho use OF
vine, but tho abuse OF it. It is the excess
thot 10 uipfr,1 ~ .-'EP---.ss sss7-a-